National Republican., 1887-03-07
w 4. r y
ID RY GOODS III

ard said; ".Yes, father, II you will hold my
hand will!' SO the. father held his hand,
and a led s him 1 m stTaIIght through The peril Oh,
you want with you2 Mother; Young man,
console you? Mother. II the mother of
feet into her lap II she might have taken
the dying head on her bosom! If she might
have said to- Him, ut will soon be over, Jesus;
and it will be all we'll" But no. she dared
not come up so close. They would have
struck her back with their hammers They
would have kicked her down the hill.
There can be no alleviation at all Jesus
must suffer and Mary must LOOK. suppose
she thought of the birth hour in Bethleham. [
suppose she thought of the time when with
her boy in her bosom she haStened on in the
darkness in the fight towards Egypt. sup
pose she thought oil Ills bOyhood.wnen He was
the joy OF her heart. 1suppose she thought Of
the thousand kindnesses He had done her, not
forsaking her or forgetting her. even in His
last moment. but turning to John and saying:
There is mother: take her with you. She is
Just as would have done for her \ Ihad LIVED
Bevery tender and gentle with her. Behold
thy mother!' She thought 1t all over. aud there
Is no memory like mothers memory. and
there is no woe like mothers woe.
1Iemark again: This is q tender seen be-
cause II is a Christian reunion. Why was it
that In the seasonal meeting, when asked q
woman If 1t were her son who sat next to her,
making profession of his faith, she made no
answer but after a moment, trying to control
her emotion, she burst Into tears. Isaid within
the old story of a prodigal got back: "Ihe
dead Is alive again and the lost Is found"
Oh. how many families there are that rejoice
together to day!
These Christians during the rest of the year,
perhaps. Will not know much about each
other You go In one circle of society, these
go In some other circle of society, and this
one travels In that path, and this one the
platform, and we make one confession, and
we cling to one cross, and we gaze upon one
not like church, but like great family cir:
Gle, and we join hands around the cross of
Christ and we say, "One Lord. one faith, one
6neR% S9s So Christ Sns dGhS9osy hsps
l munion table, which IS Is only seven @ or eight eight
feet long and three or four feet wide, widens
tion can sit at it; and still the table widens,
until all the Christians in this land of all
names and denominations come and sit at 1t (;
sea, and Christians on the other side of the
Atlantic come and sit at 1t; and still
that table .widens,., until the redeemed
Of Heaven mingle IN the communion Church
militant; church triumphant.
zone army of the living God
To His command we bow;
Part of the host have crossed the Hood,
And part are crossing now."
Again, my friends. this is an absorbing
scene, because 1t arouses so many precious
memories. We look back and remember the
days of our childhood when, long before we
knew the meaning of the bread and the wine,
we sat in the side pews on sacramental days,
or in the galleries, and looked us our fathers
mothers, and older brothers and sisters sat
at the communion. Or, II we sat with them,
pulled At mothers w%s dress and SAID
cup? What Is that on the nlGtel" o, yes; we
remember those sacrainental days OF our boy
hood. We remember how much more tender
father was on that day than on any other
day. We remember how mother stood, and
hereyes got inli OF tears. Oh, the dear old
Of our death we win associate this
holy ordinance with their memory.
And when our work on earth Is done we will
Just go up and sit down beside them in the
heavenly church, as we used to sit beside them
in the earthly church, and then we will driuk
new wine in our Fathers kingdom.
"Behold the saints, beloved of God,
Washed are their robes in Jesus blood;
Brighter than angels, 10, they shine;
Their glories splendid and sublime
remark again This scene Is tender to-day
because i Is n confessional. You and re-
member the time when, II man had charged
us with anything like imperfection or wrong
doing, we would have thrown ourselves back
on our honor, and said; you don't know who
you are talking to. Ishall resent such an In
suit to my honor and integrity" We do not
sacrifice of Christ and thiuk OF what we have
been and what we have done, our hearts melt
within u.s. We see one dying accursed tor our
sin, and we hear Him in His dying words
begging for our service, and yet how
little service we have rendered OF
this short life we have begrudGed God even a
fragment. Alas Alas | Some of us have
| lived out the most of our days, and yet we
have rendered TO God no earnest seryice. Sad,
that we could have so maltreated Him on
| whom all our hopes depend. Oh, my brethren
| and sisters In Christ, to-day Join hands with
me in q confession before Christ. If there be
taReit, Ifthere be any prayer more imp)r-